Few cars defined an era like the Lamborghini Countach. If you came of age in the 1980s (even early ’90s), there’s a good chance this exact wedge, black paint, gold wheels, wing and all, was thumbtacked above your bed.
Now one of the finest examples on the planet is headed to RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale this August, and it happens to be the most potent variant Sant’Agata ever screwed together.
Six Carbs, Zero Apologies
The LP5000 QV debuted at the 1985 Geneva Salon with a 5.2-liter, four-valve-per-cylinder evolution of Lamborghini’s V12. Stateside cars made do with a Bosch fuel injection setup that sapped output. European cars got the good stuff, which included a six Weber downdraft carburetors breathing through that unmistakable power dome on the engine cover. And, of course, that’s where the “Downdraft” nickname comes from.
The result was 455 horsepower, an absurd number for 1985, along with a 4.1-second run to 60 mph and a 195-mph top end. It also made the QV the only 48-valve, carbureted V12 supercar ever produced.
Lamborghini built 631 Quattrovalvoles through 1988, and roughly 300 wore Euro spec. Collectors treat the carbureted cars as the definitive Countach, and frankly, they’re right.
Restored Within an Inch of Its Life
Chassis FLA12877 left the factory in July 1985, finished in Nero Tenebre over a Nero leather interior and reportedly earmarked for Stanisław Zagórski. If you’re not familiar, he’s the graphic designer behind some iconic album covers for the likes of artists like Miles Davis and Cream. It eventually landed in Massachusetts before passing to collector Richard Molke in 2011.
Molke kicked things off with a $77,000 engine rebuild, then handed the car to Lamborghini specialists Dugan Enterprises for a ground-up overhaul. The current owner, a Northern California collector, saw the work through to completion in 2023.
The final tab? North of $611,000 for the restoration alone, before the engine work and another $14,000 in fine-tuning.
Choose Your Own Countach
The sale includes two sets of period-correct OZ wheels, one gold and one silver, plus a spare rear decklid without the wing. So the next owner can run it clean and understated, or go full 1980s excess (this is the way).
The matching-numbers engine is still in place, the odometer reads 33,010 km (roughly 20,511 miles), and the car comes with its factory ledger copy, owner’s manuals, and tool kit.
Spec Sheet
Model: 1985 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV “Downdraft”
Chassis No.: ZA9C005A0FLA12877
Engine: 5.2-Liter Quattrovalvole V12 with 6x Weber Downdraft Carburetors
Power: 455 HP
0-60 MPH: 4.1 Seconds
Top Speed: 195 MPH
Production: 631 QVs Total, ~300 European-Spec
Odometer: 33,010 km (~20,511 Miles)
Auction Estimate: $900,000 to $1,100,000
Pricing & Availability
The Countach crosses the block at RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction, running August 13 through 15 at the Monterey Conference Center, where it’s estimated to fetch between $900,000 and $1.1 million. Head over to RM Sotheby’s website to register to bid.
Recap
1985 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 QV “Downdraft”
One of roughly 300 carbureted Euro-spec QVs ever built, this 455HP poster car hits RM Sotheby’s Monterey block in August after a $700,000 restoration, and it could pull as much as $1.1 million.
